Compromise Meth Bill Moves On

After a week of negotiations, the House Judiciary Committee has passed an amended version of a bill that would regulate pseudoephedrine. The drug—often called PSE—is a key ingredient in allergy medicines, but it is also used to make methamphetamine. In the fight against meth, lawmakers have long debated various proposals to control PSE. The bill currently making its way through the General Assembly restricts how much PSE Kentuckians can buy without a prescription. It also blocks recent drug offenders from buying PSE entirely. On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee changed the latter provision to only block meth offenders from buying PSE.

“If it’s not something that works, we can come back and tweak it and fix it,” says State Representative Brent Yonts, who sponsored the amendment. “But I think it’s a great first step.”

The bill now heads to the full House for a vote. It is expected to pass.

“This vote is easy for me because if it will help reduce the number of meth labs in Kentucky, I’m for it,” says House Republican Leader Jeff Hoover. “I don’t think it goes far enough, but I understand people have to be educated on the issue,“ Hoover says.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association—which has lobbied against the bill—says the measure punishes law-abiding citizens. ---